The Rainbow Bridge Poem — A Comfort for Pet Parents

For many of us, the Rainbow Bridge poem is the first kind thing we read after losing a pet. It has been shared in veterinary clinics, sympathy cards, and memorial services for decades — its author unknown, its comfort unmistakable.

We share it here for you, whenever you need it.

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Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

— Author unknown

Reprinted for personal, non-commercial comfort. Author widely attributed to Edna Clyne-Rekhy / origin disputed.

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Rainbow Bridge Poem for Dogs

If you searched for a rainbow bridge poem for dogs, you already know the picture it paints — the meadow at the edge of heaven, the happy running, the reunion that was always going to happen. The dog in that poem greets you the way your dog greeted you: completely, without hesitation, as if you'd only stepped out for a minute.

Print these words and keep them where your dog used to wait for you. And when you're ready, a memorial portrait painted from your dog's own photo can sit beside them — proof that your dog is still known, still loved, still yours.

Rainbow Bridge Poem for Cats

If you searched for a rainbow bridge poem for cats, you may have noticed the original never quite fit. The running and playing belong to dogs — your cat's heaven looks more like a warm windowsill that's always in the sun, a lap that never has to move.

So read the poem their way. Picture the slow blink instead of the eager bark, the purr you'd recognize anywhere instead of the barking welcome. Keep these words close. And when you're ready, a memorial portrait from your cat's own photo can bring that quiet presence back into your home — a small place that is still, and always will be, theirs.

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If today is heavy

There is no timeline for grief, and no wrong way to miss them. If you would like gentle support, the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement offers helplines and resources cared for by people who understand.

And if it would bring you comfort to keep them close in a keepsake — a portrait painted from your own photo, with their name and the little details only you knew — we would be honored.